Sholem Aleichem School Performance Report 2014 [Type the abstract of the document here. The abstract is typically a short summary of the contents of the document. Type the abstract of the document here. The abstract is typically a short summary of the contents of the document.] Sholem Aleichem’s School Performance Report 2014 Table of Contents Introduction .………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….2 Staff ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………4 Qualifications of teaching staff ……………………………………………………………………………………4 Attendance & Satisfaction rates …………………………………………………………………………………………….6 Staff …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….6 Students ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………6 Parents ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..7 Curriculum …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….7 Professional Development Attended ………………………………………………………………………….12 Reporting & Assesment ………………………………………………………………………………………………………..16 Support Programs …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………18 The Gap program ………………………………………………………………………………………………………..18 Bridges – Numeracy …………………………………………………………………………………………………….18 Bridges – Literacy ………………………………………………………………………………………………………..18 The ESL program ………………………………………………………………………………………………………….19 Naplan results ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..20 Year 3 ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..20 Five year trends …………………………………………………………………………………………………………21 Year 5 ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..25 Five year trends …………………………………………………………………………………………………………25 Finance Report …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….32 New and enhanced curricula and co-curricula activities ………………………………………………………33 1 | P a g e Sholem Aleichem’s School Performance Report 2014 Introduction Expanding our Horizons Following on from last year’s Sholem Aleichem College theme of ‘Making a Difference’, at the beginning of this year I set a challenge to the entire school – students, teachers and administrative staff alike – to ‘Expand your Horizons’ and to create an exceptional year of learning, growth, discovery and development. The college collectively responded to the challenge of expanding their horizons in myriad ways. Our students and staff have constantly sought ways to consider tasks and situations from a fresh perspective, to take on new ideas and challenges, to question the way they learn, work and teach so as to be able to execute such tasks in a more productive, efficient and creative manner. They have excelled in new sporting endeavours, remained at the forefront of technological change and development in education, they have sought ways to better help, serve and communicate with each other and with the broader community and world outside of Sholem, and they have consistently refused to settle for mediocrity, but rather have sought new and invigorating ways to push the boundaries, to jump over hurdles and to truly expand their horizons. The year began with the customary flurry of activity that Term 1 brings. The new preps embraced the excitement of their first day of school with a wonderful balance of enthusiasm, courage, confidence and of course some trepidation. This year we had two prep classes with a total of 41 students. There were many new families to welcome across the college, as is reflected in our large increase in numbers from 2013. It was an absolute pleasure to welcome an energetic, engaging and thoroughly delightful group of new comers to our Junior Kinder and throughout the college. The arrival of so many new families, coupled with the strength of our senior year’s classes, has seen the college continue to grow at a powerful rate. It is important to remember though that while growth is generally seen as a positive, we never want to grow too large, or to expand in a manner that would take us away from being the warm, close knit, supportive community that lies at the heart of what makes Sholem unique. Our essential nature is that of a small school, where every child, and every family is well known and highly valued in their own right, and where our specialisation as early learning experts allows us to focus our full attention on the vital preschool and primary years stages of our students’ development. Throughout the year, our senior management team attended 6 retreat days to develop a school educational improvement plan for the next 3 years. All primary staff attended 2 sessions and a document, that will drive our educational offerings, curriculum, assessment and school structure, has been developed. In a year packed with so many opportunities, one new area that is a highlight is the amazing success that we have had on the sporting field. Spearheaded by the interschool, regional and State level successes of our senior year’s teams and flowing down to our youngest learners who are all actively engaged in our All Stars program, Sholem has made a consistent effort and improvement in all things sporting during 2014. It is vital of course to remember that sport and physical activity play an essential role in the development of our children that extends far beyond the actual court, field or gym in which the activity takes place. Sport helps our children to build character and determination, learn team oriented skills and develop confidence as well as building the foundations from which their future physical health and wellbeing will be based. The year has indeed been an exceptional one for Sholem’s Senior Years sports teams. Sholem’s teams, male, female and mixed, have enjoyed outstanding results across a broad range of sports including netball, basketball, football and cross country running. Full details can be found later in the yearbook. As pleased as the school is with the scoreboard success of its leading teams, what has been equally pleasing is the tremendous sportsmanship, both on and off the field that has been displayed by Sholem’s athletes. They have continually won praise from competitors and officials alike for the sustained respect they have shown for those who opposed them on the field, and also for the courtesy and appreciation they have shown for the efforts of those who officiated and organised the various competitions. As part of a balanced curriculum Sholem has maintained its place at the forefront of the technological revolution that is rapidly changing the way education is delivered and learning is received in the early part of the 21st Century. This year saw the introduction of our B.Y.O. iPad policy. The school is proud that it did not rush headlong into this endeavour, 2 | P a g e Sholem Aleichem’s School Performance Report 2014 instead waiting till the appropriate learning methodologies and practices could be put in place around our iPad platforms to ensure that the rate of engagement with technology in the classroom did not exceed the ability of the technology to deliver actual and measurable improvements in learning outcomes. We are proud to say that the iPad program has made a positive difference in the classroom, particularly in respect of student engagement and open ended learning activities and we look forward to continually refining and improving our use of iPads into the future. Our Jewish Life remains firmly at the centre of everything we do at Sholem. We live and breathe our Jewish identity everyday at Sholem, both in terms of our informal learning and activities and also in our formal curriculum. Whether it is the joyous celebrations of Purim, the festive singing and eating at Pesach, the tradition of the weekly Shabbes Assemblies, the making of Sukkahs, the lighting of the Chanukkiahs, the dancing on Yom Haatzmaut, the blowing of the Shofars in Elul, or the simple telling of a Yiddish story our rich Jewish culture and tradition lies at the very essence of who we are and what we do at Sholem and it is truly heart warming to see how our Judaism is so vibrantly embraced and joyously lived at Sholem. Also in August I visited the Bialik school in Montreal and our two schools will be working on a joint project in 2015. The year of course had many individual highlights. Our school concert, A Shtick in Time, once again showcased the tremendous talents and abilities of our students. The children sang, danced and acted their way through an original story that had them racing back in time from a not so distant future that was devoid of music. The clever narrative device gave them the opportunity to present to the audience an eclectic collection of best loved songs from a range of musical epochs including the 50s, 70s, 80s and 2010s – all in Sholem’s trademark mixture of English, Yiddish and Hebrew. A hearty kol hakavod to all involved – front of stage and behind the scenes. Your tremendous dedication, talent and creativity once again provided a theatrical spectacular that will not soon be forgotten. Our 5th Annual Business Breakfast was held at Carousel Receptions on September 9th. This year’s theme was ‘The Business of the Future – How to lead, not just compete.’ The theme provided an excellent opportunity to discuss the rapid changes in our educational landscape and how we prepare our students for the future in conjunction with developments in the world of business and careers. Over a scrumptious meal delivered against the backdrop of the majestic Albert Park Lake, 120 guests were thoroughly entertained and engaged by our panel of expert speakers comprising Morris Miselowski, Ernie Schwartz and Elliot Epstein. The discussion was moderated by Phillip Kingston of Gary Peer and Associates and provided a fascinating